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As I'm waiting for responses to several of my inquiries before deciding what to buy, I've been looking back over the process that got me to this point.

Since I'm just getting back into kiting after a very long absence, a sensible choice would be a good quality mass-produced kite, it would probably have more flying capability than my skill level could make use of. But, although I don't have a lot of stuff, I do like the gear I do have to be top quality and don't mind paying for it. So it was clear from from the start I'd be looking for a rather expensive boutique kite.

As usual when I'm shopping for gear I spent days researching the possibilities; scouring the web reading reviews and forum threads and watching videos. That along with the help of the many comments to my questions in a thread here and in another forum has clarified things considerably. So I'm looking for a solid polyvalent kite with first-rate build quality, light to moderate pull, moderate speed, responsive but not twitchy, that doesn't require huge inputs to perform. Fortunately there's a lot of great kites out there that fall into that category. Unfortunately I'm not able to fly any of them.

As I continued to explore the various options I realised that there was another strong factor that I had never considered in my dozen or so previous kite purchases: aesthetics. Of course I wanted an attractive kite but other than that the looks weren't an overriding factor. But there's more to it than just the look of the kite, namely the flight aesthetics. As I watched more videos, some kites looked to me like a hooked fish struggling to escape when doing tricks while others looked like graceful highly-trained dancers ( I really enjoy watching good dance! ). Perhaps the art that I've been doing in the 12 or so years since I stopped flying has had an influence.

Regardless of where it comes from, I've realized the aesthetics of both the physical appearance and flight characteristics are very important to me. The appearance aspect has eliminated some fine kites like the Transformer from consideration , and left me unenthusiastic about the Vendetta and some others. There's still a lot of great kites with acceptable if not exciting looks such as the JJF Excalibur UL, but the one kite that stands out is the Alphakites TNT. To me it's exceptional in both the looks and flight characteristics.

However its high cost is making me hesitate. (That and the fact that Alphakites hasn't responded to my email inquiry!) It's 50% more than the Excalibur and triple the price of a serviceable JJF that's available. Is it worth it to me? I'm not sure. Meanwhile I'm still looking around to see if I can find anything else that stands out.

Hopefully Alphakites and some other vendors will get back to me soon so I can stop cogitating and get flying soon.

So I'm looking for a solid polyvalent kite with first-rate build quality, light to moderate pull, moderate speed, responsive but not twitchy, that doesn't require huge inputs to perform. Fortunately there's a lot of great kites out there that fall into that category. Unfortunately I'm not able to fly any of them.

Have you had a look at the Flying Wings Soul? Great kite that fulfils all of your requirements but considerably cheaper than a European boutique kite. You can buy them in Australia for around A$300 according the the internet.

Have you had a look at the Flying Wings Soul? Great kite that fulfils all of your requirements but considerably cheaper than a European boutique kite. You can buy them in Australia for around A$300 according the the internet.

Thanks for the reply Hadge, yes, I have considered the Soul. The price difference between it and the Excalibur UL is about 5% which isn't a major savings. I prefer the looks on the latter, and the flight characteristics look a little better to me too.

I am thinking abuot a TNT as well... But, I really like my JOE Talon. You may... (if you haven't already) want to check out jest of eve. I love the Talon! I also think it looks awesome when flying or when just sitting there.

Shane

Logged

"Once you have flown, you will walk with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return." Leonardo Da Vinci

If I may make a quick suggestion. And I say this in the most respectful way...

Dude, just jump in! You've reached the point of diminishing returns with the research and questions. The sooner you get a kite in the air the sooner you'll finally figure out what you like. Then you can pepper us with questions about the tricks you will no doubt be learning soon. That's the fun part for you...and us!!

I totally agree with Randy on this. You will drive yourself nuts trying to pick the perfect kite but the reality is, you won't know what kites you like until you get out there and fly. There are many shops that have excellent do it all kites. So just pick one that looks good to you and fits your budget, then pull the trigger and start tricking. If you stick with it you'll want something else anyway.

I am thinking abuot a TNT as well... But, I really like my JOE Talon. You may... (if you haven't already) want to check out jest of eve. I love the Talon! I also think it looks awesome when flying or when just sitting there.

Very nice kite, I've even spent a while on their colouriser and come up with some nice colour schemes while considering it. I finally decided it was a little too close to the trickster side.

Dude, just jump in! You've reached the point of diminishing returns with the research and questions. The sooner you get a kite in the air the sooner you'll finally figure out what you like...Just my $.02. Best of luck!

Thanks Randy. I have pretty much stopped the research and am just waiting on responses so I know what cost and delivery will be.

I totally agree with Randy on this. You will drive yourself nuts trying to pick the perfect kite but the reality is, you won't know what kites you like until you get out there and fly. There are many shops that have excellent do it all kites.

Thanks for the comments Dolphinboy. Unfortunately there's no kite shop with high end kites that I know of within 400km. I won't be driving myself nuts on this, once I have all the price/availability info I'll just decide. I think any of the kites I'm considering will by enjoyable to fly and at least enable me to do all the stuff that kept me fascinated for 10+ of frequent flying. If I really get back into it I'll then I'll worry about finding the 'ideal' kite.

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